Time's Heartbeat
by Lyra the Heretic
Summary: At the end of XIII-2, Etro performs one more instance of time travel, a last-ditch effort to create a timeline where humanity can survive. Hope and Lightning, both desperately wishing for one more chance, are thrown back to the very beginning. Now, it's up to them to change the past - and the future.
1. The 11th Day

As Etro feels the mortal wound dealt to the man - the creature - she'd once named a champion, as the last dregs of her life drain from her, there are yet whispers at the edge of her awareness - "please, I can still fight", "please, I can still change this", "please, let me try, you never even gave me the chance to try-"

And her strength is fading, but her gates are spread through seven-hundred years of time already. What's one more trip just a little further back? So she scoops them up, those voices, those souls who've fought so hard for her all this time, and she gives them their chance. One chance, one long shot, to make a change large enough to erase the end of time itself.

XIII

The last thing Hope had known was triumph turned sour; awful, angry denial and dark clouds spilling out of the sky. And then there was darkness and a feeling of warm hands wrapped around him, and then he opened his eyes on a scene straight out of his memories. The beach at Bodhum, just after nightfall: with a flashnet raised in the harbor and a crowd of people clamoring all around.

It was strange, though. Usually, in his memories, he was shorter and his mother was there with him. Instead, he felt the same as ever. He was in his academy uniform, and he could smell the faint scent of airship oil clinging to it. That smell, it would have come from clambering through the ship over the deck on his way to meet up with Serah and Noel. But would that sort of detail carry over to a memory or a dream?

The fireworks hadn't started yet, but the general party atmosphere was in full swing. The beach was crowded.

"This is… strange." Hope stepped forward, thinking to get out of the crowd and get his bearings. Was this a dream? A memory? An echo in time, like Serah and Noel had described encountering on their travels? But no, they had described Noel's half-real memories as indistinct, fuzzy around the edges. This was anything but. He could hear snatches of people's conversations, feel the give of the sand under his feet, count the vehicles monitoring the sides of the flashnet and preparing for the fireworks show. NORA's cafe was ten meters away, and he could smell Lebreau's special, but it was off somehow, like she'd used different ingredients than he was familiar with. There was a hint of spice in the air… and Hope realized it smelled like a variety of pepper they never been able to find again after Cocoon fell and all its fal'cie shut down.

It felt real. And then, while Hope was still watching the entrance of NORA's cafe, he saw his mother walk out. He choked. A bag of fresh fried snacks in one hand, Nora scanned the crowd and frowned. Hope watched as she wandered forward into the crowd, calling his name. Unwillingly, he started to move towards her. He stopped. Dream or no, she was calling for her fourteen-year-old son, not him. Had she lost track of him in the crowd? Hope couldn't recall anything like that in his own memories of this night. As he fought with himself over whether to approach her, a commotion broke out a little ways away in the other direction. Someone was pushing their way through the crowd; a wave of people scattered to make space and avoid being knocked over. The runner passed through the column of light cast through NORA Cafe's storefront, and Hope could see a flash of crimson red in the light. "Light?" He ran after her, calling out. "Light!"

She turned and stopped short, and yes, it was Lightning. "Hope?" She frowned, every line of her body screaming stress. "Is that you?"

"Yes! It's me!" The sight of her grounded him. Her eyes, more than anything, made him begin to believe this was really, truly real, that somehow he'd - they'd both - been taken to their own past.

Lightning's shoulders loosened incrementally. "...Alright. Let's keep moving."

They moved out of the crowd, and Hope trailed after Lightning as she kept walking. After ten minutes she finally stopped, tossing her head towards one of Bodhum's odd raised houses.

"This one's mine," she said, and headed up the stairs. Hope followed her up. "We can talk in here."

They moved into her living room and sat next to each other in silence.

"Caius showed me," Lightning said suddenly. "Serah died."

"...Yes." Hope averted his eyes. "I'm sorry. I tried to watch over them but I- I don't really know what happened."

Lightning let out a bitter laugh. "It's Etro's 'gift'. Serah… she saw the timelines change, and the strain on her body…"

"I… think I understand? I remember Serah and Noel talking about something like that… a long time ago. But Lightning," Hope leaned towards her and took her hand in his. "We're back at the beginning, aren't we? We can change everything. We can fix everything. Serah and Noel told me - Etro was dying because of the miracle she performed the day of the Fall, right? So what if we prevent the Fall? Or change it, somehow, so that Etro doesn't need to intervene?"

Lightning nodded. "That's probably what the goddess wants. I just- I failed her before," she said, referring to Serah. "I put her in danger, and then she- she was hurt." She frowned. "Even if it never happened now, I…"

"It'll take time to forgive yourself." Hope smiled. "I know, Light." The smile dropped from his face. "So we will try to change things. How? What's the first step?"

"Serah's already been marked. I won't let her become a Cie'th, so I'll have to get marked again, too."

Hope's hand tightened around hers. "I'm with you every step of the way, but… Are you sure?" Lightning looked down at their joined hands and started. Hope let go, readying an apology, but then she spoke.

"Hope, the back of your hand…"

He furrowed his eyebrows, then looked. There, peeking out from underneath his gloves, was a very familiar pale symbol. He hissed. "The burned brand?"

Lightning's eyes widened, and she unzipped her sweater. "I have mine, too."

"But my mark disappeared the day of the Fall."

"Fang couldn't remember anything, but Vanille said Fang's brand changed after she prayed for Etro's mercy," Lightning reasoned, "Could it be Etro's L'cie brand?"

"Can Etro even make l'cie?" Hope asked dryly. "Even when you were her knight, you weren't a l'cie anymore, right?"

Lightning focused for a moment. "I don't feel like a l'cie. I can't do magic."

He shrugged, resigned. "Well, if it is then at least we know it shouldn't progress. And I think we know our focus, too."

"Change the future."

Hope nodded. "And save as many people as possible. That starts with Serah, and with the Purge."

Lightning shut her eyes, her brow creased with worry and sudden exhaustion.

Hope watched her with concern. "Listen, Light. There's a few more days left before it starts, and I remember what you and NORA managed to do with just a few hours. Get some rest. We'll start working on it tomorrow."

She opened her eyes and glanced up at him. "Hope, you grew up a lot."

"... Yes?"

"When I realized I was here, I replaced my past self. I know I did, because I woke up in the middle of talking to my superior, Lieutenant Amodar. I haven't changed, so it didn't make any outward difference. But what about you?"

"I don't know," Hope answered uneasily. "It… was probably the same for me. My mother will be worried."

"You want to save her, don't you?"

"I… I want to save as many people as possible." He smiled wanly. "Really, Light, I let go a long time ago. I was too busy worrying about my best girls," he joked. "Turning to crystal, disappearing from the timestream - the three of you sure know how to make a guy worry."

Lightning's eyes narrowed, and the corner of her mouth turned up. "Your 'best girls', are we?"

"You're my everything, if you'll have me," Hope answered seriously. "I don't know how much you saw from Valhalla, but honestly Light, everything was always for you." He cracked a grin. "And Fang and Vanille are family, of course." He softened. "And I couldn't face you if I didn't do what I could to look out for Serah."

"Though of course you wouldn't dream of interfering with my sister's relationship."

"Of course not," he said with a straight face. "No more than you would."

After a moment, they both broke into soft laughter. Eventually they settled into silence again, and Hope looked up.

"So? Since I've gone and brought it up already, will you have me?"

Lightning was silent. "When did you get taller than me?" she asked finally.

"Would you believe I was fifteen?" she shot him a skeptical look, and he laughed. "You're right, I could never have grown that much so quickly. It was a close thing, though. I was sixteen." Lightning nodded her acceptance. "I'm twenty-seven now," Hope continued. "And you're the same as ever. It's strange, isn't it? I guess that's time travel for you. But Light-"

"I told you once that you and I are partners," Lightning said, interrupting his chatter. She took his hand again. "I saw. Everything you did. You… you kept facing forward, while I was stuck guarding our backs in Valhalla."

"We both did our best, didn't we?"

She looked down. "There's no-one else I'd rather rely on, Hope. Really." She squeezed his hand. The tips of her ears were red. Her eyes met his shyly, and Hope was overcome.

"Lightning," he whispered, leaning in and bringing his other hand up to turn her face towards his. "I love you so much," he breathed, and brought his lips to hers.

The kiss lasted only a moment before Hope pulled back. Lightning stared up at him, face red, body trembling. "That was my first kiss," she murmured.

"Ah, um. Mine too." He hadn't given himself time to socialize when he was young, and later he'd been too preoccupied - and too distant from other people, and with too much responsibility weighing him down besides - to think of looking at anyone else.

"I feel like I'm on fire," she complained. "It was just a kiss. How is that fair?"

Hope let out a breath of relief, releasing her hand to wrap his around her waist and draw her closer. Her back was warm even through her jacket. "It's fair because I feel the same way," he told her. Then, "Can I kiss you again?"

"Yes."

He did, relishing the feeling of long-held fantasies fulfilled. Her lips were always glossed; one of her small concessions to vanity, and one she'd maintained even during the period of time they'd been trapped on Pulse. He took her lower lip between his teeth, teasing it, sucking it between his own. He could taste the gloss. Her hands wrapped around his back.

The hand he'd held to her face moved back into her hair, and she thrust her tongue into his mouth. Hope responded in kind, and honestly it mostly felt awkward, but then the sensation sank in of her tongue against his, her mouth around it, and it was intoxicating. He subconsciously thrust further into her mouth, and the feel of warmth and gentle friction brought other things to mind. Lightning pulled away, gasping, and he realized they'd fallen back onto the couch at some point.

She sat up and leaned down to take off her boots. "You too," she ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Hope replied, breath short. He took off his boots, and after a moment stripped off his gloves and removed his harness and jacket as well, tossing everything on the floor. Lightning was pulling open the straps on her own gloves, and Hope went to work pulling loose the belt around her waist. She shivered when he pulled it free and his bare hands brushed against her arms. His hands sought out the latches of her jacket, and she leaned into him slightly.

She slid her jacket off her shoulders and dropped it. Next came the heavy nylon holster that held her gunblade; they set it on the couch. Lightning unfastened the belt around her hips and let the pouch wrapped around her leg drop to the ground. She stepped forward and kissed him again, roughly pulling his tie off his neck and tossing it on the floor. "Bed," she breathed into the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah." Lightning had her arms pulled close around his shoulders, so he wrapped one arm around her waist and lifted her up, slipping his other arm under her legs in a princess carry. He looked down at her in his arms for a long moment, taking in the way she leaned into his chest, her eyes half lidded. He felt a rush of heat spread all the way to his toes, and he smiled softly.

"Which way?" He asked. "I haven't actually been to your house before." Lightning nodded to their left. Hope swept down the hall. He leaned in and dropped Lightning on the center of the bed, then followed on hands and knees to crouch over her.

XIII

For Lightning, contact was electric. She had been alone for such a long time, with no comfort but the ability to watch history from Valhalla's halls, helpless and impotent while all her friends fought for their lives. And then suddenly she'd been in a crowd of people, and none of it seemed real until Hope appeared before her. His presence was an anchor, as it had always been. His touch… was something else. Something she hadn't expected. Nothing changed in Valhalla. But at some point while she was there, her feelings had changed.

He leaned over her. "Lightning," he breathed in her ear, "I've wanted to do this for a long time." Lightning shivered, eyes drooping shut.

"Do what?" She asked breathlessly.

"Make love to you. Make you mine." He brought up a hand and unfastened his first two shirt buttons, then leaned in and laid his lips at the side of her neck. His hand found the zipper of her sweater, pulling it down the rest of the way. With a jerk, he pulled it open from the bottom and moved his lips to graze feather-soft over her shoulder, her collarbone, her brand peeking out from under her bandeau top. He scraped his teeth across the bared skin, sending a jolt through Lightning that went straight to her groin. She moaned quietly. Hope straightened, kneeling with his legs on either side of her hips. He pulled off his shirt in one smooth motion and laid his hands on the bare sides of her stomach. "Strip," he told her. "I want to see you."

Lightning flushed. "How long?" she asked. "Hope, how long have you-"

"Hundreds of years," Hope replied flippantly. "But I'll answer your question properly." He sat down with his legs folded on either side of her body, his weight pinning her hips. "I've loved you since I was fourteen. If we're talking about desire… that's a more recent development." He stroked his hands up her sides, and her flush darkened. "I've had dreams, of course. Stray thoughts. But I didn't really take them seriously. Not until I saw you in an Oracle Drive. You looked the same, and I wasn't a kid anymore, and I knew you were alive. And I started working on making it to the time and place where the Oracle Drive said you would be." He smiled bitterly. "I thought I could see you again in the future, show you how well I could protect you now. And it just hit me. The idea of you and me. I could consider it seriously, all of a sudden."

Lightning's hands rose, hesitated, and then she gripped his arms. "It's the past, not the future, but… you did see me again after all."

Hope nodded. "Yes."

Her breath caught. "Then it's a promise, right? I'll protect you, Hope. And you'll protect me." Lightning wrapped herself in those words like an impenetrable shield. She would protect Hope. And Hope would protect her. They could beat anything so long as they had that.

He smiled again, and this time it was warm and open. "Light, I will always protect you. With everything I have." He leaned down for another kiss and Lightning returned it eagerly, her hands sliding further up his arms. When had he become so solid? He was slim compared to men like Snow or that friend of his, but his arms were solid wiry muscle, and his shoulders were wide and straight. It seemed like the only thing that hadn't changed was the smile he'd just turned on her. She didn't know what to feel, but she wanted to see more of that familiar smile. And, she acknowledged with another flush, she wanted to see all the changes, too.

He bit her lip again, and she felt herself shiver. Hope stopped kissing her and pulled away. "Light?" He asked. "Is this alright?"

"Yes," Lightning repeated emphatically. She released his arms and sat up a bit, shimmying out of her sweater and quickly stripping off her bandeau, leaving her top half bare. Hope froze. "Are you just going to stare?" she asked wryly. She reached down and hooked her fingers in his pants' waistband. "Don't stop now."

"Right," Hope breathed. "Right." His hands, frozen on her sides, slid up over her ribs that had been bared when she removed her bandeau, then forward over her breasts. He covered them, one in each hand, then gripped them hard. Lightning arched her back and gasped with pleasure. She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him into another kiss. This kiss was warm, wet, and intimate, comfortable in a way the last one hadn't been. She felt as though she were sinking into him, or perhaps the reverse, as though he were sinking into her.

Starting tomorrow she would work to save everyone. But Hope was so warm, so resolute and clever, so everything that was admirable in a person, she'd always seen that, and for tonight he was here for her, and her only, and so she would- he ended the kiss to mouth enthusiastically down the line of her neck, cutting off her thoughts. "Hope," she gasped. He planted one last kiss somewhere around her collarbone, then lifted his head and embraced her, his cheek pressed to hers and his arms wrapped around her back."I mean, it, Light," he said softly, lips next to her ear. "We will fix things. And you won't get taken away again, and you won't be alone, and we won't lose anyone." His grip tightened. "We won't."

The feeling in her chest was hot; it flushed through her whole body, rose in the back of her throat. Was this relief? She felt like crying. "We won't," she agreed, voice choked. "We'll win, and all of them will be safe and happy."

"That means you, too," Hope said, pulling away to look her in the eye. "I can't be happy without you, Light. You and me. We'll get through this."

There was that heat again, in her face, behind her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came to mind. She could feel the skin of his back under her splayed hands. She wanted him closer. She looked at Hope, waiting patiently for a reply. "Pants," she said finally, her voice a little watery.

He paused for a moment, then got off her so they could both strip. Lightning pushed off her skirt and peeled her swimsuit bottom away without sitting up, then rolled over and helped pull Hope's pants down and tossed them to the foot of the bed. While he pulled down his boxers, she grabbed his shoulders and kissed him urgently. When the kiss ended, they were both panting.

"Light?" Hope said quietly.

"It's a promise," she said emphatically, feeling like her chest was about to burst. "Let's kick some fal'cie ass and tell Caius Ballad exactly where the hell he can get off."

Hope grinned slowly. "Right," he agreed, brushing his fingers through her bangs and down the line of her face. Then his smile softened, and he pulled her closer.

For a pair of amateurs, they did quite well.


	2. The 12th Day - I

The story so far:

As Etro dies and the gate to Valhalla is ripped open, she pulls Hope and Lightning back through the timeline to the night of the fireworks in Bodhum. Reunited after many years, Hope professes his enduring love for Lightning. They reaffirm their partnership, and resolve to change the future and save as many people as possible.

XIII

She woke blearily, confused by the brightness of her bedroom - she almost always woke early in the morning, when the light from Phoenix was still dim. Hope shifted next to her, his face pressed into the crook of her neck and his arm wrapped around her waist. He sighed in his sleep, and she realized she could feel his breath on her neck. She shivered. There was a sort of numbness inside her that had been thawing ever since she left Valhalla. As if that place had slowly drained her of all feeling without her notice, and now it was flooding back.

Her skin felt like it was on fire in all the places they were still touching, and they were touching in a lot of places. Lightning sighed and placed her arm over his, pressing back into his warmth. Her body soaked it in like daylight. She could stay here a while longer. The world didn't need them just yet, there was nothing she had to get up for-

An insistent thudding interrupted her thoughts. She frowned. It stopped, then started up again more insistently. "Sis?" came a muffled voice, "Are you there? I brought the cake!"

Serah, she realized. Before she'd been granted time off due to what she later realized was the beginnings of the Purge, she and Serah had made plans for a birthday brunch before her originally scheduled afternoon shift. The last time around she'd been worried because Serah hadn't come home the night before, and- she sat bolt upright and leapt out of bed, causing Hope to stir.

"Sis!"

"I'm on my way!" she called back, hunting out her discarded clothes. Most of them were tangled in with the duvet she and Hope had pushed off the bed last night; picking them back out would take too long. Lightning went to her dresser instead, and tossed on a one-piece swimsuit and a sundress Serah had picked out for her several months ago. She'd never worn it before. It was made with a somewhat gauzy material that was much more to Serah's taste than her own, and it was loose and flowy. But it was dark enough to cover her up, and it was better than nothing.

"Light?" Hope mumbled from the bed.

"Birthday. Serah's here." He hummed in acknowledgement.

Still barefoot, she dashed down the hall to the front door and threw it open. "I'm here."

"Did you oversleep? That's unusual." Serah's smile was tense, worried. "Lebreau said she saw you run off last night during the fireworks show, and I was concerned, so Snow and I showed up a little early." Her smile fell a little. "I hope you don't mind that I didn't come back last night. Something came up, and… it got late, and I ended up staying with Lebreau afterwards." Serah stepped in and went towards the kitchen, Snow a step behind her with a cardboard pastry box in hand. "Is everything alright, sis?"

"Morning!" Snow added helpfully.

"I'm fine," she said shortly. "I just… had a shock last night. It's nothing."

Serah stopped short as they passed the couch, her eyes fixed on the floor. "Lightning," she said slowly, "Is that a man's jacket on the floor?" Snow tilted his head curiously, and Lightning felt her neck flush.

"You can set the cake down on the kitchen table," Lightning told him pointedly. When he tarried, she gave him a pointed look.

"Why is there a man's jacket on your floor?" Serah asked, voice hushed. She noticed Lightning's things. "Why is your jacket on the floor?"

"Why is your boyfriend at my birthday brunch?" Lightning retorted. "I don't remember inviting him."

Serah stiffened. "I know you don't like Snow, but you don't have to get revenge on me by-"

"Hey Light?" Hope called from the bedroom, sounding much more awake than he had mere minutes ago. She wasn't sure whether to curse or bless his timing. "Do you have a pair of socks I could borrow?"

"Top drawer," she called back. "I'm not trying to spite you," she told Serah. "It just happened."

"Who is this guy? And why did he call you Light? No one calls you Light."

Lightning flushed. "Some people do." She tried to think of an example. Well, Fang had, in the future.

"I do what?" Hope asked, emerging from the bedroom with tousled hair and rumpled clothes. He laid a hand on Lightning's back. "What did you say was happening?"

"My birthday."

Hope brightened. "Right, that's today! I didn't get you anything…"

"How would you?" She asked dryly. "Don't worry about it."

"But Light, I've never had the chance to celebrate your birthday before. I want to do something."

"We've got bigger things to worry about." Lightning was not smiling. She wasn't.

"Sorry to interrupt," Serah broke in, frustration clear in her posture, "But would you mind an introduction?"

Lightning struggled for a moment with what to say. His real identity, obviously, would only pull the records of a fourteen-year-old boy who was probably missing right now. The hand on her back pressed slightly, reassuring.

"My name is Hope," he said. "Oerba Huei Hope."

Light turned and looked up at him, inquiring. He smiled and shook his head slightly. He'd explain later.

"Well then... Hope." Serah looked entirely bewildered. "Exactly how long have you known my sister?"

"Serah!" Lightning exclaimed, affronted.

"A very long time," Hope replied. "Don't worry about her not saying anything, though; we've been out of touch. It was a long time ago." He paused for a moment, then added, "It's actually because of work that we met again."

Serah frowned, suddenly concerned about something. "Are you in the Guardian Corps too?" She bit her lip. "Sis, is he... staying for your birthday?"

Lightning realized the source of her discomfort. If she was planning on revealing her l'cie status, a stranger - and an apparent soldier, no less, if he and Lightning worked together - would be dangerous. She had nothing to worry about; she and Hope already knew, and they were on her side. But Serah didn't know that. Lightning shot Hope a significant glance.

Hope sighed. "Alright," he said "I'll just get started on our project." He sat on the couch to put on his boots, then stood and donned his jacket. He worked on fastening the harness as he continued to speak. "I hope you're planning on making this up to me?"

"I'll save you a piece of cake," Lightning said.

"But Light, I don't like sweet things. Except for one…" He smiled suggestively.

Lightning flushed. In front of Serah? Really? But the butterflies in her stomach were not complaining. "Fine," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder and pulling him down to meet her. He brought one gloved hand to cup her face and kissed her slowly. "I'll have more birthdays," Lightning said when they broke away.

"Yes, you will." Hope seemed to radiate the same resolve she was feeling. Then his attitude brightened. "Leave it to me, Light. I'll get things set up. He turned to Serah and nodded. "Nice to meet you, little sis. Don't you worry about a thing, alright?"

"Hope!" Lightning punched him in the arm. He waved it off and left.

Serah was horribly flustered. "Sis, seriously, who was that guy?" She shook her head. "Is it really okay to have that kind of relationship with someone you're working with? And he looks older than you-" Lightning shook her head, and Serah cut herself off.

"We really are sisters, aren't we?" She let out a small huff of amusement. "To think you'd worry about me the same way I worried about you… But forget about Hope for now. You promised me a meal, didn't you? And you and that Snow of yours can tell me what's been on your mind."

Serah paused. "Is it that obvious?"

"That you've been upset? Absolutely. I may have been wrapped up in my own feelings, but I could still see it." She sighed. "I should have paid more attention."

Snow was sitting at the kitchen table, restlessly jogging his foot. While Serah gathered up her ingredients, Lightning selected a knife and moved to stand at the counter. She paused, knife in hand. Without facing him, she said. "Snow. You're childish, you're too self-confident, and you and your friends need to learn to pay attention to your surroundings before you get someone killed." She glanced over her shoulder. "But I haven't been fair to you. Say your piece." She set down the knife, turned around with crossed arms, and waited.

Serah was frozen, vegetables in hand. Snow hesitated for a moment, then stood. "I love Serah!" He said, bold in manner.

"And?"

"We're going to get married!"

"You think you can take care of her? Make her happy?"

"Absolutely!"

"You won't ever run off and leave her?"

"Never!"

"If you make her cry, I won't forgive you."

"I never want to make her cry!"

She turned to Serah. "You love him? You really think he's good enough for you?"

"Yes," Serah replied emphatically, finally coming unfrozen. "Sis, Snow is-"

Lightning nodded, cutting her off. "I can accept that. I'll trust her to your care." Her gaze sharpened. "If you let her down, I'll punish you."

Snow nodded resolutely. "Understood."

Lightning relaxed her position, turned to Serah, and smiled softly. "Then congratulations, Serah. I want to be there for your wedding."

Serah was frozen in shock. "You're… not mad? I know it's really sudden."

"I'm mad. You're marrying this guy and I've only met him once, and at the time he was pulling something that would have gotten him and all his friends arrested in any other city. He's reckless." She said this bluntly. Snow bristled a little, but Lightning ignored him. After all, he'd never lost his recklessness. He had left and gone wandering the timelines to look for Lightning instead of staying by Serah's side. Sure, he'd done it for Serah's sake, but he'd still made her lonely. "And I'm jealous," she confessed. "I wanted you to be a child for a while longer. But…" she turned back to the counter and started chopping the vegetables. "Mother would say, 'if Serah loves him, then I have to accept it.' So." She turned back to the counter. "I'll cut the vegetables. Set them here."

Serah moved slowly, confused and off balance, and placed the vegetables on the counter. "I'll prepare the meat and rice," Serah said quietly. "Cut the vegetables into small pieces. I'm making a favorite of mine; it's Lebreau's specialty."

"Sounds good. If there's anything else, we'll talk about it after we've eaten." Lightning said quietly. "For now, let's relax."

XIII

Hope headed into Bodhum's shopping district and lost himself in the crowd. It was thinner than it had been yesterday and the days before, and restless. PSICom blockaded the city at some point in the small hours of the night. Closer to the blockade, Hope was sure the atmosphere was starting to turn dangerous. There were still some people moving around the shopping district, though, trying to pretend that everything was business as usual.

That would only last until later today, when PSICom officially announced the purge.

Hope passed a public computer terminal and sighed. Back in the future, he'd want a computer for the work he was about to start. It was an adjustment, being back on Cocoon. He'd taken if for granted when he was young, but Cocoon… even though there was internet, its only use was the shopping network. Shopping network terminals had a simple OS that didn't allow for much tinkering under normal circumstances, and the personal computers sold in stores weren't built to be networked or to use the wireless.

In the future, he'd become accustomed to forums and messaging and public databases, but personal computers on Cocoon were all completely isolated. Cocoon had toy cameras that could automatically send pictures to be developed at the store, but they couldn't do something as simple as send the pictures to the user's computer at home instead.

In hindsight, that artificial and unnecessary isolation was probably another tool of Barthandelus' to control humanity and keep them in the dark. Controlling information was easier when people couldn't talk to each other except in person or by phone or radio. It was so unnecessary, Hope thought, disgruntled. All of Cocoon was connected by a network; the televisions, the shopping network, even the automatic processes run by all the Fal'cie in Cocoon were all connected. Mass communication wouldn't require any extra work to set up on the part of the Fal'cie.

He shrugged internally. It would be nice, but for now he had a more readily convenient tool: the comm-device still attached to the belt of his Academy uniform. Members of Psicom and the Cavalry had kept using their own comm-devices in the future when they'd joined the Academy, and Hope still had Captain Rygdea's comm-address memorized from when Rygdea had been his superior in the Academy, long ago. It was a place to start. Go big or go home, he thought, and dialed the number.

XIII

Rygdea's comm buzzed, and he frowned at it. He'd just finished telling that Fang woman she had to stay in her room again, and he was in no mood to deal with anything else. Maybe if he ignored it, it would go away. But if it was General Raines, it might be important. It buzzed again, and he checked the caller ID. He frowned. Unknown caller? But it was a military number - had the prefix exclusive to military-authorized devices - and military comms always had names registered. He picked up.

"Who is this?" He demanded.

"Ah, you finally picked up." spoke the voice on the other end. An obviously masculine voice, Rygdea decided. It was a pleasant-sounding tenor, and there was a hint of humor in it, as if the speaker was amused about something. Rygdea wasn't sure if that was a good sign or not.

"Who are you, and how did you get this number?" Rygdea repeated.

The man on the other end paused, as if deciding what to say. "A friend, I think. Or, at the very least, someone who shares your… interesting ideals." The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Before Rygdea could ask him to elaborate, he spoke again. "Oh, and I have a message for your commander. And his guest. Tell them the Purge is not what it seems, and her friend may be in grave danger." The voice, Rygdea noted, was sounding far from amused now.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?"

"That's all. Tell them, then have Raines call this number with his own comm. I'll want to speak to his guest." The transmission ended. Rygdea supposed the mysterious caller wouldn't pick up if Rygdea tried to call him back himself. He supposed it could be some kind of prank, but… an unknown number and all that knowledge no-one should have? He couldn't risk it.

He grimaced and called his superior. "Sir, this is Rygdea."

"Captain." Raines replied. "Has something come up?"

"You could say that, sir. Permission to retrieve your guest and meet with you? There's a reason." He hesitated. "A secure location might be best."

Raines paused, curious. "My office should be fine. Go ahead."

The Pulse woman made a few token protests when he returned to her room and told her to follow him, but she listened. She watched their surroundings carefully as he brought her to General Raines' office, obviously still working on putting together a mental map of the ship. Raines' door opened automatically to let them in.

"I admit some curiosity, Captain." Raines said immediately. "What exactly is this urgent issue?"

"I've been… contacted, sir. Unknown ID, military number. The caller demonstrated knowledge of our sympathies. … And our guest." Raines stood from his desk, and Rygdea offered his comm. "He wanted to speak to you. Use this number with your comm; he implied that he won't answer a call received from mine."

"While this is all very interesting," Fang spoke up from the edge of the room, "I fail to see why I have to be involved."

Rygdea frowned. "He told me… he said, 'the Purge is not what it seems. Your friend is in danger.'" Fang tensed. He shook his head. "He wouldn't say anything more than that. Just told me to have the General call him."

"And I will do so," Raines said decisively.

The comm buzzed three times before picking up. There was a moment of silence on the other end, then, "That was quick. Who it is I'm speaking to?"

"This is Brigadier General Cid Raines. May I request the same courtesy?"

"Ah, good. General Raines, please put your comm on speaker."

Raines' eyes narrowed. "You don't put forth a good first impression."

"My apologies. I'm afraid I have no choice but to be mysterious for the time being. If you put the comm on speaker, however, I can introduce myself to your guest."

"And not myself?"

The speaker paused. "I don't mean to be rude. Even if I gave you my name, it wouldn't tell you anything."

Raines was unsatisfied with this answer, but he relented. Fang stalked forward and spoke immediately. "Alright then, who are you? And what do you mean she's in danger?"

"Your friend is in no danger of discovery for the time being, if that's what you're concerned about. She is still in Bodhum, however, and if she's caught up in the Purge she'll be in a much bigger pinch than I believe the Cavalry has anticipated."

Raines frowned again. "Who are you, PSICom? How do you know about the Purge?"

"Ah," the speaker said in a tone like a person who'd just remembered something. "I am sorry, I'll get to that, but first - General, how much time do you have left?"

"Time?" Raines said, perplexed. "What do you mean by that?"

"You haven't had any personal meetings with Primarch Dysley? No close encounters with Cocoon's Fal'cie?"

"No. What are you talking about?"

"That's a relief. I recommend you stay away from them as much as possible. Especially the Fal'cie Eden and the Primarch." He huffed. "You swore an oath to serve Cocoon. The Fal'cie would have you keep it, willingly or no."

Rygdea felt a chill crawl down his spine. "Are you saying they'd make the General a l'cie?"

"If it served their purposes? Absolutely. So, General. Stay away from Eden. Keep your men away from there as well. The Fal'cie… are not above turning one individual in order to lure in others."

Fang slammed her hand in the desk. "What about Vanille, dammit!"

"Yes." His voice warmed. "Oerba Yun Fang. My name is Oerba Huei Hope. I swear to you, I am your ally. If you wish it, I can track down Oerba Dia Vanille and return her to a safe location."

"Oerba Huei- you're from Oerba? Where were you when Vanille and I woke up?"

He sighed. "I wasn't here. And I'm truly sorry for that. I-"

"You're offering us large favor in looking for Oerba Dia Vanille," Raines interrupted. "What do you want in return?"

"Ah yes. You see, it's PSICom's intention to have the so-called 'deportees' of the Purge executed when they reach Hanging Edge. After all, who in Cocoon could tell the difference?" Rygdea recoiled in shock, but Raines' solemn acceptance showed that he'd had his own suspicions. "You want to protect the people of Cocoon, right General?"

"I do."

"Then, please trust me and lend me as many ships and pilots as you can spare for the day of the Purge."

"What for?"

"The Primarch has told Cocoon that the people of Bodhum are being sent to Pulse. I intend to see that he tells the truth about that - whether he intended to or not."

"Are you insane? What good is interfering with the Purge if they'll all be sent to hell anyway?"

"Listen, you-" Fang was interrupted by the man on the other end.

"Pulse is my home, General. It is not hell. I intend to welcome the deportees and see to it that they thrive."

"Why would you want to help those miserable Cocoon thieves?" Fang demanded.

"If Cocoon has cast them out, then they aren't Cocoon. They'll be people of Pulse soon enough. And we're all family there, aren't we? We have to be."

Fang nodded reluctantly, then realized he couldn't see her and said, "Yeah, I guess so."

"So, General? If nothing else, disrupting PSICom's purge is sure to put a thorn in Eden's paw."

Raines considered, tapping his fingers on his desk slowly. "I'll trust you. I can spare five troop craft. Enough to move two-thousand people, a little more if they crowd in." Bodhum was a small town, but with so many people there for the fireworks it was barely a quarter of the population marked for the Purge.

"Thank you. It will have to be enough." He fell silent on the other end, then hummed in concentration. "Your maps are better than mine. Get the ships to to the train tracks, as close to the Edge itself as you can get. I can't promise to return them to you in mint condition, but I'll do my best."

"I'll put my faith in you, Oerba Huei Hope. I hope you realize what it's worth."

"And what about Vanille?" Fang asked insistently.

"I'll find her today. She'll stay with me or one of my associates. That will be safer than risking her on one of the trains."

"Risking her?" Rygdea asked, confused.

"Yes," the voice replied absently. "I can't guarantee that any of the trains will get through in the first place. Especially with elements in Bodhum likely to resist the Purge violently… they could cause a lot of chaos."

An uneasy silence fell on Raines' office.

"Well, don't worry. I'll be dealing with that as well."

Raines folded his hands. "Explain to me one more time why I should trust you?"

"You have no reason. You don't know me. But seeing humanity free of the Fal'cie, that's my life's work. And you're in no position to act against PSICom overtly. I'm your only choice. Say afterwards that some rebel elements managed to steal those ships of yours."

"And what will I say when the 'stolen' ships are mysteriously returned to me?"

The voice at the other end scoffed. "With what's coming, soon enough it won't matter what you say. Trust me, you won't need to worry about that for long. Besides…" he trailed off. "I'll need them for a few weeks, I think. The deportees will need some form of shelter."

Raines frowned uneasily, but nodded. "You're right, I've got no choice. I'll see it done. Don't fail."

"Worry about yourself, general," the voice - Oerba Huei Hope - said lightly. "Oh, and might I speak with your guest one more time?"

Raines nodded towards Fang. "What is it?" she asked.

"You're welcome to join us. Just hitch a ride on one of those ships the General is sending."

Fang hesitated.

"If it's your focus you're worried about, don't be. I know what it is, and I know how to fulfill it."

Fang narrowed her eyes. "And how would you know?"

"Why don't you come and see?" They heard him shifting on the other end. "Hm. I think that covers it for now. Thank you for your time, general. Fang, I'll call again if we manage to track down your companion before the Purge starts." Then, with an abrupt click, he hung up.

The three of them were silent for a long moment.

"Sir," Rygdea spoke up, "how are you going to get him those airships?"

Raines sat down and folded his hands together. "I'll figure something out." He sighed. "If Sanctum really is planning to turn the Purge into a massacre, we can't just stand by. Leave me. I have… rather a lot to think about."

"... Yes sir."

XIII

The atmosphere as they ate was a little uneasy, but companionable enough. Lightning started a stilted conversation about Serah's plans for school and Snow's friends and Snow and Serah's relationship, and realized a little sadly that it was probably the most they'd spoken to each other in years. Lightning was clearing the dishes when her comm buzzed, buried in her Corps jacket still on the floor of the living room.

"I've got the dishes well in hand here," Serah offered quickly. "Go ahead and take the call."

She nodded and hurried to dig it out and answer.

"It's me," Hope said when she picked up. "I'm probably not registered in your contacts."

"You wouldn't be," Lightning agreed. She'd enter in the number after they hung up. It was a relief to be out of the kitchen, free from reflecting on how distant from Serah she had become. It was a relief to hear his voice. "How are things going so far?"

"Sorry," Hope started, and Lighting frowned in concern. "We haven't had the chance to decide on a plan yet, and I sort of. Made one on the fly. Without you." He sounded honestly sorry.

Lightning relaxed. "Old habits die hard, right? You're just getting old and set in your ways."

"Ouch!" Hope laughed.

"It's fine. You know what my plans usually look like."

"Hit the problem with a sword until it stops being a problem," Hope said, laughing.

Quietly, she made her way to the bedroom and shut the door. She lowered her voice. "So what's the plan?"

"Prevent the fighting at Hanging Edge; turn the Purge into an evacuation to Pulse's surface. I've got Raines on board. It seems that Barthandelus hasn't made him a l'cie yet."

"That's good," Lightning said emphatically. "He's a great commander and a good man."

"So Rygdea always used to tell me. I got in contact with Fang, too, since she's been under Raines' hospitality."

Lightning's heart skipped. Fang. Fang was warm and alive and nearby, and Vanille too. "How was she?"

"Agitated. She's been looking for Vanille."

"Really? She didn't really talk about her time with the Cavalry."

"Yeah, but Rygdea told me stories later, when we were both in the Academy."

"She'll be at the Purge for sure; didn't she used to say how badly she wanted to return to Pulse?"

A pause, as if Hope had shook his head. "It's too risky. Vanille's in a bad place right now. She might do something stupid." He hummed. "Come to think of it, didn't she meet Serah once?"

"I'll ask her," Lightning replied dutifully. She returned to the kitchen, nodding brusquely at Snow. "Serah?"

Serah finished rinsing the last dish and dried her hands. "Yes?"

"Hope is looking for someone on behalf of a friend of ours, and he was wondering if you might know anything."

She turned around and frowned, curious. "Why me?"

"No reason. Just covering all our bases. We know she's been in Bodhum, but he has no leads yet." She flicked the comm to speaker.

"Hello again, Miss Serah," Hope said. "I'm looking for a girl about your age. She acts cheerful, but she's the type to cry a lot. She's got pigtails, and she wears a lot of pink and-"

"And beads and jewelry?" Serah interrupted. "Yes, I did meet a girl like that the other day. But I'm sorry, I have no idea where she is."

Snow spoke up, voice lighting in recognition. "This girl, she's got red hair and a lot of skin showing?"

"You've seen her?" Hope's voice was filled with surprise.

"Not me, no. Yuj mentioned seeing a girl like that hanging around NORA cafe's garden. He said her fashion sense stood out. I couldn't tell if it was a compliment."

"Of course," Lightning exclaimed quietly, sitting down at the table. "That's just the sort of place she'd end up."

"Thank you, Snow," he said seriously. "Light, I'll give the barricades a quick go-over, then I'll see if I can't track her down in NORA's backyard somewhere." A pause, then, "Where should we meet up?"

"The cafe would be best. She's not going to follow you back here, and we'll need to speak to NORA anyway."

"Right. Love you, Light." The connection ended.

Serah frowned again. "Sis. Who is this guy and why does he keep saying those sorts of things? Why haven't I met him before?"

Lightning looked up at her sister a little uncomfortably. This was an interesting role-reversal…

"Wait," Snow interrupted, saving Lightning from an answer. "Did he say barricades? What barricades?"


	3. The 12th Day - II

The story so far:

Thrown back in time to the beginning of everything, Hope and Lightning are resolved to save as many lives as possible. When Serah and Snow arrive to celebrate Lightning's birthday, she seeks to mend her relationship with her sister. Meanwhile, Hope seeks the help of the Cavalry to change the Purge from a massacre to a grand escape. As Hope and Lightning discuss their plans, they reveal a bit of what's to come to Snow and Serah.

XIII

"Wait," Snow interrupted. "Did he say barricades? What barricades?"

"The ones PSICom put up last night," Lightning said. "They've blocked off the trains and the highways, and Hope's information suggests that won't be the end of it."

"But, why?" Serah asked, terrified.

"..." Lightning's lips tightened. Nothing for it. They'd find out soon, anyway. "There was an incident involving alleged Pulse l'cie at Euride Gorge a few days ago. The whole area was cordoned off for a few days. PSICom's been keeping it quiet, but Hope has sources." Serah stiffened in shock, and Snow's hands curled into fists.

She continued. "Last night PSICom discovered a Pulse fal'cie in the Vestige." They both looked surprised at the first fact, but of course they already knew about the Vestige. "You're not surprised," she observed.

Serah tensed, and Snow moved to place a hand on her shoulder. He pulled her close for a moment. "Sis, I… the other day, the Vestige was open. I was curious, and I… I went in. And I-" her breath hitched. "I saw the Pulse fal'cie. It… it made me a l'cie." Serah wrapped her arms around herself in a defensive gesture, waiting for a reaction.

Lightning could remember the chill that had gripped her heart the last time she had heard those words, the incredulous anger that she'd used to drive it away, the regret she'd felt ever since. She felt an echo of that chill now. She closed her eyes against it.

"Do you know your focus?" Lightning asked.

This was not the reaction Serah had expected. "I- yes. No. I'm not sure."

Lightning nodded. "Your best guess?"

Her gaze drifted to settle somewhere on the wall. "It was… I saw some kind of monster, and Cocoon… falling to the ground." She looked back to her sister. "But I wouldn't follow through with something like that, I promise! Even if I could-"

"You could," Lightning interrupted. "The potential power of a l'cie is enormous."

Snow broke in. "We don't know that for sure. L'cie are practically legends, aren't they? There haven't been any in ages. Hell, since the War of Transgression."

She smiled humorlessly. "That's right. No l'cie on Cocoon for hundreds of years. Until a pair of them woke up from their crystal slumber in the Pulse Vestige."

Serah gasped. "Is that why the door was open?"

She looked at her younger sister wistfully. That open door… that open door was what had gotten Serah into this mess. If only she hadn't gone into the Vestige, if only the door had stayed closed- but that veered close to blaming Fang and Vanille for what had happened, and it was in the past now anyway. Serah was a l'cie. She couldn't change that. "Yes," she answered. "Most likely."

"Okay, but what about the barricades?" Snow asked again. "Why is PSICom in charge of it? What is the Security Regiment doing?"

Lightning watched him for a moment, the tenseness in his jaw, the worry in the line of his shoulders. "Let's go to the cafe," she said at last. "There's a lot to go over, and Hope will do a better job explaining it than I can."

XIII

Vanille wasn't at the barricade by the train station. His mother, however, was. Damn.

"Please," he could hear her pleading with a masked PSICom agent, "Can't you spare anyone to look for my son?" Double damn.

"Step away from the barrier, Ma'am," the grunt said in a warning tone.

She gripped the barricade insistently. "Isn't it your job to-" The PSICOM grunt moved to heft his gun threateningly, and Hope found his feet moving on their own.

"My apologies," he told the grunt, taking hold of his mother's arm and pulling them both a pace back from the barrier. "She didn't mean anything by it. We aren't looking for trouble." She made a noise of protest, and he tightened his grip on her arm - gently - warning her off. "Right?" He asked her.

She scowled, but backed away from the barrier with him and followed his lead back out through the crowd. Once they were a fair distance away, she spoke. "What was that about?"

"Listen," Hope said, careful not to look at her. "PSICom isn't like the Guardian Corps, alright? They serve the government's interests, not ours."

"Is there a difference?"

"What do you think?" He asked, casting a meaningful look back at the panicking crowd of residents and tourists.

"... Even so," Nora said. "My son is missing. Do you understand that? My son. I don't care what the risks are, I have to find him." She halted, pulling back against his hold on her wrist. "I'm going back. This has nothing to do with you, whoever you are."

Hope released her and spun around, eyes flashing with hurt. "It has everything to do with me!" Her brows wrinkled with surprise and confusion. "You're his mother. Do you think he'd ever forgive himself if something happened to you while you were trying to protect him?"

"I don't care," Nora insisted, all calm resolve. "Maybe it's selfish, but I don't care. I need him safe."

Hope huffed and turned back around, trying to hide his turmoil. He'd never let her go after all, had he? Had never really accepted her loss, no matter how much he told himself otherwise. But he had to. There were more people than just his mother who needed his help right now. His lips thinned. "Stay away from PSICom," he repeated. "If you're really determined, track down someone from the Bodhum Security Regiment. They've been ordered to stand down from their regular duties, so they'll have plenty of time to help." He started walking. Keep his mind on the present: he had to find Vanille.

He heard the clack of heeled sandals behind him. "And what about you?"

Hope frowned. "What do you mean? And are you following me?"

She hummed thoughtfully. "That outfit of yours has a military look about it, but it definitely doesn't belong to any of Sanctum's arms."

"I'm just a scientist, sorry to disappoint."

"And the gun at your waist?"

"It's always best to be prepared for monster attacks on research expeditions." He said firmly. Which was true. Cocoon was no Pulse, but the people who worked in its wilderness areas still had to be as ready to defend themselves as any soldier.

He turned his attention back to his search. Bodhum had a swath of forest that curled between the town and the beach for a mile or two, a sort of arboretum filled with 'safe' wildlife and with walking paths. Its tip, further downtown, was close to NORA's cafe, and they'd planted their vegetable garden in a clearing a little way in. Hope's knowledge of the area was vague - a half-remembered conversation from one of the few social events he'd attended in New Bodhum before Snow and Serah had disappeared - it might have been better to have Lightning do the searching. But it was an area two miles long and only about a quarter mile wide at the most, so hopefully it wouldn't matter. He reached the far end three blocks from the train station and headed briskly into the forest.

Nora sped her pace to keep up. "So, 'just a scientist,' in that case, where are you going in such a hurry?"

"... I'm looking for someone." Was she really going to keep following him? How long until he let something slip? Oh, Light was never going to let him hear the end of it. "A missing girl. On behalf of her family, who has the common sense to stay safe and let me do the searching." He kept his eyes peeled for signs of Vanille; some kind of camp, or trails other than the planned strolls the locals kept to. The foliage was thick enough to obscure vision, but nowhere near as thick as some of the places he'd explored on Pulse over the years. He'd manage. He left the path to tromp off through the shrubbery.

Nora looked down at her open-toed shoes and hesitated. She grimaced and stepped off the path after him. "Alright," she said. "Then I'll ask you to help find my son too."

Of course she would. His gut roiled. As far as he knew, the teenage son she was looking for was gone now. Permanently, unless the paradox of his presence here was erased. Somehow he doubted an adult stranger would be a comforting replacement. Out loud, he said, "Where did you see him last?"

"We were at the fireworks together. I went to get us snacks and drinks, and when I came back he'd disappeared in the crowd."

"You're going to need something more specific than that," Hope said. "The whole town turned out for the fireworks." He sighed. "Do you know of anyplace in town he'd go, if he was lost or upset?"

"He should have been able to get to the hotel or the train station from anywhere in town," Nora insisted. "I don't know where else he'd go."

"He wouldn't run off on his own for some reason?" Of course he wouldn't, Hope knew that much about himself.

"He wouldn't do that." Nora's demeanor had been growing steadily more outwardly worried. Now there was a deep frown set in her face. If he remembered his mother as well as he thought, this relatively stoic expression meant she was actually on the edge of tears.

Damn. How much could he say? "Look… If he stays missing… he'll probably be safer than the rest of the town."

Her posture grew a sharp edge, and she shot him a look. "And what does that mean?"

Double damn again. He paused his steps, searching for some kind of response. And then he heard it.

"Hey, I asked what you mean by that."

Hope hushed her insistently. There, just a little further ahead and to the… left? He couldn't be sure, but it sounded almost like… like sobbing and hitched breaths. Vanille. It had to be. He rushed forward, pushing through a particularly thick thatch of shrubbery. And there she was, sitting in the middle of NORA's neat rows of vegetables, her knees hugged to her chest.

He stepped forward into the clearing, feet crunching on the undergrowth. Vanille shot up at the sound and sprawled backwards. "S-stay back!" she yelled shakily. He stopped abruptly.

"Oerba Dia Vanille," he said, radiating relief, "I am so glad to see you."

She got her feet back under her just as Nora followed him into the clearing. "Who're you?" She asked, guardedly.

"Fang sent me." Vanille relaxed visibly, as if those words had been a magic spell.

She gathered herself up. "Is she safe?" She asked urgently. "Where is she now?"

"She's safe," Hope reassured her. "She can't come back to Bodhum right now. But you'll see her soon."

There were tear tracks on her face. Behind him, Nora pulled out a handkerchief. "Here," she said, offering it to Vanille.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Part one accomplished, thought Hope. He turned to Nora. "You're planning on following me until you get some sort of lead, aren't you?"

Expression neutral but determined, she replied. "I'm following you until you explain what you meant when you said my son is safer if he's lost."

Hope knew his mother. If she hadn't already recognized his face, then she wouldn't - and who would think anything of a resemblance between a fourteen-year-old son and a twenty-seven-year-old stranger? But still, her gut had told her that he knew something about her son's disappearance. And Nora Estheim followed her gut ruthlessly. "Right." He sighed. "Right. Come on, then. I've got a meeting to catch, and we might as well eat, too."

XIII

The strange man who knew Fang walked ahead of them. Her face was a mess of tears, and she was intensely glad of the handkerchief that woman had loaned her. When Vanille handed it back, the woman spoke. "It was Vanille, right?" She nodded. "My name is Nora. I wish we'd met under better circumstances." The woman, Nora, smiled gently, and it prompted Vanille to reciprocate.

Oh, that felt good. She'd been alone, and so she hadn't smiled, not even a fake smile, in days. It was so hard to be brave after Fang had left her at Euride. It was hard to be brave, and it was hard to smile without Fang to smile for, and without any smiles she had felt herself slowly sinking into a mire of despair she couldn't escape. She had to smile, she decided. Had to, or she couldn't keep going.

She started by trying out her favorite bright grin. "It's nice to meet you, Nora!" She bobbed in a parody of a curtsey. "I'm much better now, don't you worry about me!"

Nora frowned a bit, but nodded acceptance. She paused a moment. "Come to think of it, would you happen to know the name of your rescuer there? We never actually exchanged names."

Vanille brought a finger to her lips and tilted her head to the side. "He didn't say, did he? I've never met him before... but if he says Fang sent him, then she definitely did." It was the only way he could know about her and Fang, she thought, unless Fang was in trouble. And that was unthinkable.

"This Fang, she's your family?"

"Yeah. The only family I've got. She's always taking care of me, even when…" she trailed off. "Nevermind." She sniffed the air as they broke out of the woods and approached a cafe on the beach. "Ooh, that smells great!"

"I've been here," Nora supplied. "I was amused because the cafe shared my name, and the food looked great, but then my son went missing and I…" She smiled ruefully. "I didn't actually eat anything. I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. I suppose I should, before I worry myself sick."

As they approached the restaurant, they heard a din of voices. This morning, many of the people who weren't at one of the barricades had sensed the uneasy atmosphere and stayed at home, but NORA Cafe seemed unaffected by the unofficial curfew. The man ahead of them slowly dropped his pace until he was next to them both. "Look at me, it's like I'm headed for my execution," they heard him mutter under his breath. Nora shot Vanille a confused look. Vanille shrugged.

They stopped outside as a unit, and then the man seemed to steel himself and strode inside, the line of his shoulders deliberately relaxed. Vanille and Nora followed him. The noise, it turned out, was not because NORA Cafe still had customers. Rather, all the noise came from a half dozen people seated at one of the cafe tables or standing at the bar.

An exception stood quietly a few feet away from the rest, a tall woman with rose-colored hair. She was wearing a dark, flowy sundress with a large weapon hanging from her hips, which was a bit of an odd combination. Still, Vanille thought she was very pretty. Their guide must have thought the same; he turned to her as if magnetized. "Light! Part one accomplished," he told her, striding forward and taking her hand, lacing their fingers together.

The woman's eyes drifted from her hand linked with his to the tagalongs he'd brought with him. Vanille thought she saw her smile a bit when she looked at her, but maybe not. Then the rose-haired woman spotted Nora. Her eyes widened and she tugged on the man's hand. "No distractions at all?" She asked wryly, and this time Vanille could definitely see the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Would you believe me if I said it really was a coincidence?"

The woman paused, seeming to consider the question. "Coincidence or not," she said finally, "It makes things more complicated for you. Not that I'm in any position to talk." And what did that mean, 'more complicated'? And why did this woman, 'Light', almost seem like she recognized them?

The huge blond man slapped the counter twice and stood up. "Are we all here now, sis?" He asked the rose-haired woman.

She nodded.

"Great, then you and your boyfriend can finally explain what we're doing here." So the other people in the cafe were as uninformed as Vanille. That was… reassuring. One or two people knowing something she didn't and being all mysterious about it was nowhere near as bad as more than a half dozen.

"He's not-" she stopped, rueful, and looked down at her hand. It was still linked with their guide's. "You are, aren't you?"

He smiled.

She fixed him with a look that was half aloof and half embarrassed, and then her features took on a distinctly vengeful cast. "I'm Lightning Farron, Serah's older sister. Most of you have probably heard of me from her or Snow." She said. Then, "This is Hope." Vanille saw Nora stiffen, though no-one else seemed to notice. Lightning smirked and shot him another look. "And he's going to explain everything."

Hope cringed. "Right, put this all on me." He cleared his throat. "A round of introductions might be in order." The other people in the room introduced themselves. Aside from Hope and Nora, it seemed that no-one in the room was much older than Vanille was - Maqui was younger, and Yuj and Serah might have been, too. Serah recognized her and nodded, and Vanille felt her smile falter. She forced it back.

"Nice to meet you all!" She replied. "I'm Vanille, and this is Nora."

"Really?" That was Lebreau, the dark-haired woman at the bar. "Hey, we're called NORA too!"

"No Obligations, Rules, or Authority," the two younger boys shot back in a sing-song voice.

Lebreau waved them off. "Yeah, so what do you think? Meeting like this? Obviously it's destiny."

Nora was still smiling, but her eyes and lips were tight. It seemed to Vanille she felt a little displeasure having her name associated with that mantra. "You're some sort of group, then?"

The big blonde sitting at one of the tables shrugged good-naturedly. "We're just a pack of strays. Grew up together, now we run this cafe." He smiled proudly. "And we do some monster hunting. Keep the local Guardian Corps from getting in over their heads."

Lightning rolled her eyes and cut in. "Some of them do appreciate the help, I'll grant you that. But we're soldiers. We know what we can handle." She exchanged another glance with her companion, Hope, and continued. "Can you say the same?" She asked seriously. "Yuj? Maqui?" The boys in question shifted uncomfortably. She looked at Gadot, then Lebreau, then back to Snow again. "You're good. Surprisingly good. But if you're not careful you're going to get hurt. You're going to get someone else hurt." Hope laid a hand on her arm. She closed her eyes and took a step back. "Just… keep it in mind," she finished.

Snow shifted forward and leaned on the table. "... What's brought this on, Sis?" he asked.

Hope stepped forward before she could reply, calling the room's attention. "About that, I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here," he began. "Allow me to explain - there's a series of events you need to know about." Nora and Vanille found chairs, and the rest of the members of NORA settled into stillness. Lightning stayed behind him, standing like a silent guard. "First: one week ago, there was an incident at the Euride Gorge power plant. An accident of some kind." Vanille winced. "PSICom had the whole place under quarantine for a while; no one in, no one out. Rumor is there were Pulse l'cie involved." He shifted and put a hand on his hip. "That rumor is completely correct. Second, Serah here discovered the front door of the Vestige has recently mysteriously opened. Furthermore, it has a Pulse fal'cie inside, and she has been marked with its brand."

The other members of NORA reeled in shock. "Serah," Lebreau asked, "Is that true?"

Serah smiled weakly. Snow settled a hand on her shoulder and addressed them. "She's not our enemy. Understood?"

"No, of course!" Lebreau replied, and the others nodded hurriedly.

So they didn't hate Serah for being a Pulse l'cie, but... that didn't mean they wouldn't hate Vanille. After all, it looked like Serah was their friend. And Vanille was actually from Pulse. It was different. Still, maybe… Vanille turned to gauge Nora's reaction, but all the woman's attention was on Hope. She'd barely even noticed the disturbance.

"Third," Hope continued after the moment was over, "PSICom has been searching for the Pulse l'cie from Euride. That search led them to Bodhum, and last night a bunch of PSICom soldiers entered the Vestige and discovered the fal'cie inside." He dropped his hands, then spread them at his sides. "We come to the point. The Sanctum is about to declare all of Bodhum potentially corrupted by the Vestige's influence. With PSICom as its arm, later today Sanctum will announce a Purge - a forced deportation to Pulse for everyone currently behind Bodhum's quarantine." He huffed. "Except for active-duty soldiers like Light here." He looked around the room and found NORA's radio. "They'll be announcing it soon, if you turn that on. Over the loudspeakers at the trainstation and the shopping district, too."

Gadot jumped out of his seat, words bursting out of him. "Do they think we'll just roll over and take that?"

"They don't. But PSICom hopes that by providing amnesty to Bodhum's soldiers, they can convince them, at least, to stand aside and let it happen. And if - when - anyone does resist…" His mouth twisted.

Lightning spoke up. "They really do plan to throw the Vestige back down to Pulse," she said. "It's the only thing they can do. They couldn't destroy it if they tried. But PSICom and the Sanctum have no intention of going through with the deportation. We'll be brought to the Hanging Edge, and then gunned down by PSICom's forces. In self-defense, of course."

Completely incredulous, Gadot sat back down. Looking around the room, Vanille could see other signs of shock and worry; Yuj was biting his lip, Lebreau had her arms crossed tightly, Maqui was leaned over the table with both hands in his hair… And Snow and Serah were leaning into one another, Snow's hand on her shoulder a few inches up from her wrapped l'cie brand. For her part, Nora's frown was growing ever deeper.

Hope and Lightning, on the other hand, seemed strangely unconcerned. Lightning's posture was tense, but calm, and when Hope spoke again his voice was relaxed and matter-of-fact. "The rest of Cocoon wouldn't hear from us again, they'd have a pretty lie to explain why, and Sanctum could be satisfied that the threat of Pulse sabotage was dealt with. Decisively." Hope finished. "No loose ends. And we would still be loose ends, alive on Pulse."

"So what are we going to do about it?" That was Maqui, looking up from the table with furrowed brows.

"We're going to fight back," Lightning answered quietly.

Snow leaned back. "We're stopping the Purge?"

"No," Lightning said. "We're not stopping it. We're taking control of it. We're going to Pulse."

Another wave of surprise swept the room, and for Vanille a wave of relief and hope so thick she could taste it in the back of her throat.

Nora was still studying Hope carefully. "I see," she said, and everyone turned to her. "You're banking on the higher-ups in PSICom not telling their people we're all supposed to die."

"That's right. Their official orders are to use lethal force if we resist… and only if we resist. PSICom's commander, Jihl Nabaat, is certain that someone will - and once the fighting breaks out, well, it's unfortunate, but they have to stamp out the resistance…"

"And at the end of it there'll be none of us left."

"Right," Hope confirmed. "But that's not going to happen. PSICom's not prepared to carry out an actual deportation, but we will be. I've been in contact with General Cid Raines, of the Cavalry. He's got troop carrier ships under his command, and he'll lend them to us. We get everyone from the trains to those ships without incident, and we're free and clear. We just need to keep the PSICom forces overseeing the operation from realizing there's anything amiss."

"You want us to let them send us to hell?" Yuj asked indignantly.

"Not at all." Hope cocked his head. "Who told us that Pulse is hell?"

"Sanctum did," Nora answered. "The same people planning our mass murder." She nodded. "So you're saying we have absolutely no reason to trust what they've told us."

"Yes." Hope smiled at her, then cleared his throat. "I'm not saying it won't be hard, but we can live there." He nodded at the members of NORA. "You've proven already that you can survive without Cocoon's fal'cie. I saw your garden earlier. It's very nice." Lebreau and Yuj returned the nod, beginning to understand his point.

"It's a much better shot at survival than going up against PSICom directly," Lightning said. "It's our only real option, if we want to save lives instead of just go out in a blaze of glory."

"Besides, it's by no means permanent," Hope continued quietly. "Serah and… well, Serah has a focus. And if she doesn't intend to carry it out, then the people who love her certainly do." Hope sent an almost imperceptible nod to Vanille. Serah, meanwhile, turned back to Lightning, who was studiously avoiding her eyes.

"Sis," she asked with a small voice, "Is that true?"

Lightning's lips thinned. "Here's the truth," she said. "Cocoon is ruled by fal'cie, not by humans. The Primarch is just a puppet. And if Cocoon's fal'cie have no problem killing humans indiscriminately, then I for one want all of them dead." She glanced back at Serah, resolute. "So whatever I choose to do, whatever happens, it's not your fault."

A long silence. In the distance, they heard the loudspeakers come to life and relay an indistinct message. Yuj stood and turned on the radio, and they listened silently as a Sanctum representative announced and explained the Purge exactly as Hope said they would. As the message went on, Vanille heard the sound of human panic rising in the distance. The message finished, then started from the beginning again. Yuj turned the radio back off.

"Hm." Snow laid his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. "So what do you want us to do?"

"Make sure all the deportees get to the Cavalry airships tomorrow. Fight PSICom to do it if you have to. Keep people alive."

"And what'll you and Sis be doing?"

Hope smiled grimly and answered. "Improvising. No plan survives contact with the enemy, and it's what Light does best anyway."

Snow frowned. "And what about us? It'll be seriously hard, protecting several thousand people like that. Yuj and Maqui aren't really fighters yet," Yuj looked to interrupt, and Snow held up a hand. "Sure, they're fine with monsters, but soldiers? No way. So it'd be just the three of us against all of PSICom. To be honest, I don't think we can do it."

"... the security regiment."

Lightning turned to Nora in surprise. "What?"

Nora straightened in her chair. "The Bodhum Security Regiment. You said PSICom doesn't want them involved. And you don't have enough people. So get them involved."

Lightning leaned against a table, a considering look on her face.

"Light, no way. If we go through the Regiment it'll get back to PSICom. If that happens, we're done for."

She pursed her lips. "No, I don't think it will."

"Light-"

"You trusted the Cavalry," she reminded him. "You're certain enough of Rygdea and Raines' character to let this whole operation ride on their cooperation." More names Vanille didn't recognize. Even though she expected it, it was frustrating.

"Yes," Hope said, confused.

"You know Rygdea better than I do. I'm trusting in your judgement." She stepped forward and turned towards the door. "I know Lieutenant Amodar. It's your turn to trust me. Whatever happens, Lieutenant Amodar definitely won't betray us to PSICom."

Hope's shoulders sagged a little, chastened. "No, you're right. I do trust you."

Lightning smiled slightly. "Then I'll report in right now. Since the Purge was just announced, I have a good reason for interrupting my time off."

"What will you do?"

"..." Lightning considered the question, then let out an amused huff.

"Light?"

"Like you said," Lightning answered, "I'll do what I do best: I'll improvise."


End file.
